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Announcing the ‘AI and surveillance in the age of coronavirus’ special issue

In the age of coronavirus, more AI-powered surveillance and tracking is inevitable, but the trick is how to do it constructively

VentureBeat insider,

Today we're launching the third entry in our series of special issues. Titled "AI and surveillance in the age of coronavirus," it's a package of articles that explores a central topic from a variety of angles, with voices from industry, academia, and our newsroom.

Technology solutions available are varied, none are perfect, and there are big privacy challenges, too. The world has to track the spread of disease and the movements of people, and enforce quarantines. Experts are counting on phone contact tracing, but even this method is riddled with questions. AI and big data will play a significant role, and some countries are using monitoring systems that employ facial recognition. Tracking systems that are constructed may never be dismantled, and the immense reach of those systems could give authoritarian governments unprecedented powers to subjugate people.

In the age of the coronavirus, more AI-powered surveillance and tracking is inevitable, but the trick is how to do it constructively.